Saponaceous fabric



Feb. 10'. 1925.

- c. s. JACKSON SAPONACEOUS FABRIC INVENTbR fZw'e/we J. Jackson ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 10, 1925.

1,526,149 PATENT OFFICE.

c'mnnncn s. JAcxson, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, assrenon TO SOAP-GLOTHOOZR- PORA'IION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SAIBONACEOUS FABRIC.

Application filed May 16,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE S. JACK- SON, a citizen of the United States, and resi-' sive material.

dent of the boroughof Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Saponaceo-us Fabrics, of; which the following is a specification.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a highly efiieient saponified sheet material for cleaning purposes, highly flexible while dry, and affording a strong, efficient and highly. flexible sheet-like scrub bing medium which will not disintegrate when soakedwith water and rubbed on the hands or other surface to .be cleaned.

Another object of the invention is to provide an efficient and inexpensive saponace ous, open-mesh scrubbing cloth formed of absorbent fibrous strands and so made that the cloth may be freely handled and crumpled while dry without releasing the soap, and also-to provide for releasing the soap in an efficient manner when desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide a washing or scrubbing fabric or cloth, flexible while dry, and formed of coarse, soft, fibrous strands individually impregnated with soap, or with a compound of saponaceous material and powdered abra- In the drawing, in which is illustrated one form of saponified fabric embodying the invention,

Figure lis a plan view of a piece-of saponaceous open-mesh woven fabric embodying the invention;

Fig. 2- a cross-section on the line 2'-2'of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 3 a plan view'of a portion of the fabric on a magnified scale.

As illustrated in the drawing, the sheet material comprises a fabric formed of soft, flexible and highly absorbent fibrous strands 1, said strands being woven to form a highly flexible open-mesh fabric having.

comparatively large or coarse meshes. Substantial lengths of each strand are free from, and out of contact with, the'other strands at regular intervals throughout the lengths ofthe several strands, thus forming an openwork, reticulated, or net-like fabric. The .strands are preferably of relatively large diameter, and are preferably made of cot ton loosely twisted together, but of course 1922. Serial No. 561,379.

any other suitable highly absorbent fibrous strands or yarns which will not disintegrate in water may be used.

The individual strands of this loosely woven, J open-mesh, absorbent fabric are thoroughly charged or impregnated with a soap solution, preferably having apowdered abrasive material mixed therewith, and the impregnated fabric is then dried. When the soap, solution solidifies upon drying the cloth it serves as an effective binder for the powdered abrasive material. The mesh must be large or coarse enough to permit the soft and coarse fibrous strands to entirely take up or absorb a substantial quantity of the soap solution or detergent compound without the formation of appreciable surface coatings on the individual strands, and

without the closure of the meshes by a filling of the soap or detergent compound, so that the fabric will be highly flexible after it is impregnated and dried and may be folded and crumpled freely while dry without freeing any of the detergent material.

The capacity of the fabric to take up the detergent solution is very large in a piece of fabric of comparatively small size. An open-mesh impregnated fabric of the character described forms a very efficient clean ing cloth which, when immersed in water and rubbed on the hands or other surface, will produce a large quantity of soap suds and also exert an efficient scouring or scrubbing action on the soaped surface. The open-mesh fabric affords a rough .and strong scrubbing material the cleaning orscour- 'ing action of which is greatly enhanced owing tojthe impregnation of the strands of the fabricwith soap and abrasive material which isforced out of the strands during the scrubbing operation.

I prefer to impregnate the strands of the fabric with a soap solution having an'abrasive material, such as powdered pumice stone, mixed therewith. v The abrasive material is taken up by or absorbed within the soft fibrous strands together with the soap solution, so that when the fabric is dried the soap and powdered abrasive material will be held in the absorbent fibrous strands. The strands of the fabric should be sufliciently absorbent to permit the soap solution and powdered pumice stone to thoroughly detergent material in such way that said material will not be dislodged in handling the fabric after drying but may be set free by wetting the fabric and rubbing the hands, or other surface to be cleaned, therewith.

By my invention I provide a soft, flexible saponified, open-mesh fabric which will not be changed in appearance" by the soap treatment and which will be as soft and flexible as the untreated fabric,-so that it may be crushed and folded or otherwise handled without destroying, or even reducing, its usefulness so long as it remains dry.

Heretofore Sheets of paper and pieces of fabric have been coated with soa to form soap sheets and these soap sheets have been put up in the form of books and blocks. They must be first detached from the book or block or other holder or container and when so detached are used in the same manner as an ordinary piece of soap. In carrying out my invention I do not produce a soap sheet. The treated open-mesh fabric remains soft and flexible and is in no sense a soap sheet.

It has been found in practice that an open-mesh fabric treated as herein described is' especially adapted for use as a shampoo cloth. The fabric not only carries soap material sufficient to produce the desired cleaning soap lather, but provides an efficient cleaning medium which may be rubbed against the scalp and which serves to detach and more or less absorb or take up the dandruff. The rough scrubbing of the scalp with the open-mesh fabric efficiently cleans the scalp and removes the dandruff. It also has been found that an open-mesh fabric treated as herein described and provided with a small amount of grit or abrasive is especially adapted for use by motor car drivers mechanics, factory employees and machinists. It has been found, in practice, that an open-mesh fabric treated as above described may be used to efficiently clean the hands or face three or four times. The soap and grit will not all be rapidly released when the fabric is soaked with water, but will be gradually released as needed during the scrubbing operation or operations, as the wet cloth is folded and unfolded and bunched in the hands during the rubbing action. The fibers of the individual strands retard the complete release of the soap and grit and the rolling or bunching of the cloth in use also serves to prevent a too rapid release or dissipation of the soap and grit during the washing operation.

While I prefer to impregnate the strands of the fabric with a solution of soap mixed with powdered pumice, it is obvious that said strands may be impregnated with any suitable detergent. or compound of cleaning materials, adapted to be absorbed by the strands and retained thereby when dry, and releasable by wetting the fabric. It will also be evident. that other types of coarse or open-mesh fabric than that shown may be used.

The individual strands may be impregnated as described by any suitable method; for example, by immersing the fabric in a strong solution of soap and water, or a compound of said solution and powdered pumice stone, then draining off the surplus fluid solution before the soap content thereof hardens or solidifies to prevent closing of the meshes by hardened soap, and finally drying the impregnated fabric. lVhile I have found that a fabric made of strands approximately of the diameter shown in Fig. 1, and having meshes of the size shown in said view, give satisfactory results in practice and has the qualities and advantages above described, it will be evident that both the diameter of the strands, and the size and form of the meshes, may be considerably varied and that various types of woven, knitted, netted or other fabrics may be employed.

What I claim is: 1

An open-mesh self-soaping fabric formed of fibrous strands arranged in open-mesh form, each strand having saponaceous material incorporated therewith, the open spaces existing in said open-mesh fabric being kept free from the said saponaceous material whereby when the fabric is in use the soap lather produced may pass freely back and forth through the open meshes of the fabric.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

CLARENCE S. JACKSON. 

